Governor Cuomo lays out plans to enhance New York in state of the state

Kicking off his re-election year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo delivered a State of the State address yesterday built on familiar themes: cutting business taxes, investing in infrastructure, and passing ethics laws and a "women's agenda" that includes strengthening abortion rights.

The Democrat proposed a $2 billion education bond act to upgrade school technology and help fund infrastructure for prekindergarten programs. But the borrowing plan, if approved by voters, still wouldn't pay for operating costs to establish full-day prekindergarten programs.

Cuomo also proposed taking over management responsibilities for upgrades at LaGuardia and Kennedy airports from the Port Authority.

In a speech devoted primarily to his previous accomplishments, Cuomo said he's turned the state around over his first three years in office. The hour-plus speech was titled "Building on Success."

"The state is much stronger than it was three years ago," Cuomo said. "We stopped talking and we started doing, and in three years, my friends, you have reversed decades of decline."

As in previous years, Cuomo tried to lay out a socially liberal, but fiscally moderate-to-conservative agenda, touching on medical marijuana, inmate recidivism, tourism promotions, construction projects and tax relief.

Many of his initiatives were previously announced, including a plan to legalize medical marijuana in very limited circumstances and initiatives for dealing with severe storms, including "microgrids" to reduce power outages.

Cuomo reiterated a proposal unveiled Monday to "freeze" property taxes for two years. In fact, he is proposing an income-tax credit for homeowners to offset property-tax increases.

Cuomo also called for reducing corporate and manufacturing taxes, and a tax credit for New York City renters. Even if approved by the legislature this year, New Yorkers probably wouldn't see any savings before 2015. The proposed tax cuts are built on projections of future budget surpluses.

Cuomo touted the benefits of prekindergarten -- a primary agenda item for Mayor Bill de Blasio. But Cuomo didn't propose a way to fund pre-K expansion, setting up a possible policy fight.

Cuomo renewed his call for a "women's agenda" that includes nine items that lawmakers of both parties backed -- such as cracking down on pay discrimination -- and one that was killed in the Senate: to codify Roe v. Wade abortion rights under state law.